I Should Have Known
by brezoflower
Summary: [SasuSaku] Sakura doesn't even flinch when Sasuke finally returns after seven years...with a girlfriend. Sakura can't bring herself to hate the girl, and she gets a shock when she realizes that Sasuke is dating...a version of herself!
1. Kirika

AN: Here has to be the millionth story of Sasuke's return on this site. But after reading so many out-of-character stories, I felt that I'd love to put my own spin on it. Tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I think it goes without saying that I do not own Naruto (ahem, property of Mister Kishimoto). But the story is mine! Yeah…

I Should Have Known This Would Happen

The day had started so normally. The sun was out, filtering through the trees overhead. Little graduates burst from the academy doors to scurry around like puppies toward the interesting thing of the day, and onlookers smiled and shook their heads. The men and women who watched these children were wives, mothers, husbands, families. During peacetime everyone had a routine. It was as if peacetime was a permanent thing. As if nothing could ever happen to break this particular day out of its cheerful, lazy routine.

As far as Sakura was concerned, they were all just fooling themselves.

The absolute normalcy of the village now was killing her. Her days had been nothing but normal since _he _had left. She had half expected the village to come crumbling down on its own, toppling from its' foundations simply because her bleak mood had willed it, tired of everyone's happiness while she remained so miserable. It had taken months and endless bowls of ramen therapy with Naruto to pull her out of her little hole she had crawled into, out of the dark recesses of her mind where she didn't have to deal with peoples' relentless optimism and cheerful indifference to the events that had changed her whole life.

The years passed by with Sakura pushing aside her selfish depression and finding a new angle to live by: one coped with her shortcomings by vowing to overcome all of them. Somewhere deep down Sakura believed that if she had only been a little bit stronger, a little more confident, a little more…just _more_, she could have made him stay. Sasuke might have stayed for her.

From that decision point on she worked tirelessly to increase her strength, both physically and mentally. Her tears dried up, and her fingers were callused from training and cut from the many research papers and books she would spend long hours studying. Under Tsunade's teaching, she expended her chakra to its' last reserves each and every day, over and over again. She would coldly stare at anyone who dared to inflict their sympathy on her until the condolences stopped coming.

She would show him. Show everyone that she would never be called "weak" again, least of all by one raven-haired man still on the loose.

Today was a day that for the first time, other shoppers' smiles on the bustling market street were just a little infectious. The sunlight, warm on her skin, reminded her of the good things in life, the things so little appreciated until the moments are gone. The things you barely notice, like the dust particles floating through the bars of light in the forest that morning before she came into town, or the smell of wildflowers in Ino's mother's hands on market day. Though she could not bring herself to wave back at the casual acquaintances that passed by, she did manage a small curve of the lips. Perhaps today something would be different. It was almost as though on happy summer days like these one could forget about the things that made her sad.

Sakura's sandals were dusty from the dryness of the soil as she walked, and she was occasionally jostled by plump wives or anxious men on her path down the market. Her ears were so full of noise from haggling salesmen and village wives that at first she didn't register that someone was calling to her.

"Sakura! Sakura!" A female voice shrieked, carrying over the heads of people somewhere to her right. After a great deal of shoving and complaints from passerby, two lithe and out-of-breath girls stumbled to a halt in front of her. Standing there fighting to reclaim breath were her friends, the ones she had come to call her closest and most precious people. Hinata and Tenten were there for her when Sasuke left, and this was the most surprising, given the fact that they had never been very close beforehand. Sakura barely knew either of them, but somehow the panic that swept through the village from the Uchiha managing to leave so easily reached all three of them. They were drawn together by the event, and began to find more in common than just the circumstances surrounding the Uchiha boy.

"Hinata? Tenten?" Sakura spoke, confused. "What are you both doing here?"

"We…we had to tell you," Tenten breathed, fighting to gain control over her pounding lungs. "We…didn't even talk…to him. We just came…right here."

"To who?" Sakura ignored her grammatical error and approached the two girls, smiling slightly. "You're both crazy. You're so out of shape that a little jog across the village left you winded?"

"Bite…me," Tenten said, causing Sakura's soft smile to morph into a teasing smirk. "Trust me…you'll want to hear this."

"He's b-b…" Hinata stuttered out. _Poor Hinata, _Sakura thought as she surveyed her red-faced friend. _It's been so many years and she still hasn't mastered her stuttering problem. _Tenten and Sakura were working on that, however. Hinata had, thanks to them, at least grown confident enough to hold a semi-awkward conversation with Uzumaki Naruto. Apparently Naruto found her nervousness endearing.

"Back," Tenten finished. Sakura gave them both a pitying look, her mind still on their lack of physical fitness. She chuckled a little, helping her friends to their feet.

She said nothing as Tenten and Hinata's breathing slowly went back to normal, only smiled at them as she patiently waited for them to regain the ability to speak without passing out. Tenten gave her a puzzled look; did Sakura not understand what she was saying?

"He came back, Sakura."

Sakura only returned her concerned gaze with her own slightly bewildered smile. She didn't understand, but it didn't bother her much.

"Who's back?" she asked. "Naruto already returned from his mission…about two days ago. But you already saw him…"

"No, Sakura!" Tenten was surprisingly sharp. "You don't understand, do you?"

Sakura's silence said it all.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

For a moment, Sakura stopped breathing, and the girls carefully searched her face for the first signs of a response.

Tenten's eyebrows furrowed when Sakura failed to even flinch. Her once stunned expression slowly resolved itself, and in its' place was a brief moment of thoughtfulness.

"…Okay."

Hinata nearly stumbled to the floor again at those words. "Wh-What?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Okay," Sakura repeated with a careless shrug. "I guess we'll have to go say hi, won't we?"

"Um, Sakura," Tenten was still gazing at her. What happened to the Sakura who cried for days after Sasuke's abandonment, the one who spilled every little insecurity she had to her? What about all those months of sad movies and buckets of popcorn and chocolate they had gone through when Sakura was a heartbroken mess?

"Look, girls, I don't know why you think this should be a big deal to me," the pink-haired girl said. "You act as if he died, not returned."

"Well, S-Sakura, we thought y-you would be troubled b-by this," Hinata tentatively murmured.

"Happy. Scared. Excited. Something," added Tenten.

"Not really," Sakura responded, even though she had to shove the bubble of hope that swelled in her chest back down rather roughly. He was out of her life now. "I suppose Naruto's already all over him?"

"You could say that," Tenten answered, finally smiling. "I don't think the girl that was with Sasuke found his vulgar shouts of, 'You're back, bastard!' very amusing, though."

Sakura's breath caught, again, against her will. "Girl? He had a girl with him?"

"Y-Yeah." Hinata's nervous fidget was back. And they had come so close to breaking that habit. "We didn't ask her n-name, though. As soon as we saw him we b-bolted back here to find you."

Carefully schooling her expression, Sakura considered this new bit of information.

"Hmm. That's interesting. I wonder if they have any children yet." _Also, kind of hoping she's a troll._

Tenten gasped at the out-loud musing. "Sakura, how can you think of something like that?"

"Well, it's been seven years since he left, which would make him nineteen just like the rest of us…" A lazy finger rose to Sakura's chin as she voiced her thoughts. "Many men decide to start families much sooner than nineteen."

"He didn't have a b-baby with him," Hinata told her.

"Well, she might be pregnant then," Sakura said. "Lord knows how eager he must be to restore his clan."

Although Sakura said each word lightly and carelessly, there was a certain way she arranged her words that made her friends pick up on the lingering bitterness Sakura held. She concealed all of her emotions perfectly, though, so well in fact that if the three hadn't been experts at detection Tenten and Hinata might have missed it.

"Well?" Sakura turned toward the door, taking measured steps toward it. _I'm fine. Let's prove that right now._ "Let's go see him then."

Sasuke wandered through the village, well aware of the stares and whispers he had the young woman next to him were receiving but ignoring them nonetheless. Had it been up to him, he would have insisted on avoiding the villagers' eyes altogether, opting for traveling on the outskirts of town until he reached the Hokage's office, but the girl beside him had insisted that they do this. It would get the initial shock out of the way, so that their lives could return to normal more quickly instead of becoming several weeks' worth of gossip. She was always the wiser of the two, pulling him out of his shell at the most inconvenient but useful times. He supposed he could trust her again just this once.

So here they were, walking straight down the busiest road of Konoha, in order to…avoid everyone later? Not that Sasuke understood the girl's reasoning. All he knew was that things tended to come together more smoothly when she suggested a plan, and it saved him from having to be the center of attention. When she hesitated, a slight pause out of nervousness, Sasuke gently placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her forward. It was her idea—and they would follow through with it.

"Sakura, there he is!" Tenten exclaimed, pointing a perfectly rounded nail straight down the market street. Since the wars ended, Tenten spent less time training and more time in her father's weapons shop, where she became so bored that perfecting her nails became second nature while standing behind the counter. Sakura followed her gleaming nails and glanced down the indicated road. The usually congested street was now almost bare, empty, though the shops and fruit stands lining the street were so packed they looked ready to burst. Whoever occupied that street must have been worthy enough that the villagers would clear a path for him.

Indeed he was. Sakura's breath had apparently left her altogether, and suddenly she didn't seem able to breathe at all. Same raven hair, same breathtaking midnight eyes with that haunted, independent look…it truly was Sasuke. His build had matured, transforming him from a boy into a man, the difference clearly noticed by his still-faithful fangirls. Sakura wasn't staring at his build, however. She was studying the hunched-over posture he had developed, and she didn't want to think about what gave it to him. He looked like the world had defeated him, and coming back home was the only option left. Perhaps the loneliness had been too great.

He was clearly uncomfortable. Sakura observed curiously as Sasuke's grip tightened on the girl next to him.

That girl. Sakura didn't know who she was, but she was not what Sakura expected. If Sasuke had claimed a girlfriend, Sakura would have expected her to be stunning in every way, a perfect copy of a geisha or a porcelain doll. But this girl was...actually rather plain. Plain-looking clothes, average body type and nervous walk, and a vacuous, ignorant expression. Sakura used to wear that expression, until she snapped out of it and the shallow things she used to cherish were left on the back burner. She recalled leaving that behind somewhere around thirteen.

Sakura had to admit that the girl had two redeeming factors. She had beautiful waist-length ebony hair that shimmered with the girl's anxious movement, and her surprisingly blue eyes glittered beneath furrowed brows. Her hair and eyes were what caught everyone's attention, the only things about her that truly stood out. Sakura let out a shaky, bitter laugh. Guess the rumors were true about Sasuke liking long hair. A wince, and she forced that thought out of her head. _Don't think about that now._

Sasuke stopped a few yards away from her, causing the mystery girl to stop too. His expression hardened as he saw the pink-haired girl, no, woman in front of him. At first he had to squint when he saw her coming; years of abusing the Sharingan made his eyes suffer, and they were not quite so acute as before. In fact, if it were not for the shockingly unusual pigment of her hair, he might have not recognized her at all.

But as he came closer, more familiar things shifted into focus. The small, budding curves she had possessed back in their genin days had filled out, her slender legs hidden beneath her long summer dress but her slim collarbone exposed. She had many more angles than she used to, her features more defined. The straight line of her jaw suited her stubbornness, and the years of peacetime had given her the opportunity to smooth out her rough hair until it hung in glossy strands over her shoulders.

It had been so long, but she was still clearly recognizable from the old days. If the dress and the curves had thrown him off, he'd still know her anywhere from her straight-backed stance and her now defiant expression.

Sakura took measured steps up to them, her intent unclear to the former avenger. Uncertainly he actually found himself worried at what she would say. If she was anything like before, he was soon going to have to dodge a bodily attack.

"Hello."

Sakura's voice thankfully came out calm and self-assured, and this helped to steady her racing heart as well. Hello? Well, better than nothing.

"Hey," Sasuke replied slowly. The girl at his side tensed, then relaxed. She made a slight twitching movement, like she wanted to come forward but couldn't quite summon up the courage.

"Hi, I'm Kirika," she said, evidently changing her mind and extending her hand. To Sakura's credit, she took it with a careful grasp. God, this new girl was brittle. Sakura could snap her by accident. "Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Sakura responded. "Where are you from?"

"I guess you could say I'm a fugitive," Kirika explained. "Sasuke-kun saved me from an enemy ambush on my village, and I've been traveling with him ever since."

Sakura stiffened at the seemingly innocent name she spoke. _Sasuke-kun_. How that suffix brought up a lot of memories when paired with her old love's name.

"I see." After much effort, Sakura forced her lips into a sweet smile. "Well, it's nice to see a friendly new face. If you ever need a girl to talk to…" she gestured to herself. Here comes the olive branch. "Haruno Sakura. You can talk to me anytime."

Kirika's once nervous face warmed, and she smiled brightly at Sakura. "Thanks," she said. "I'll remember that."

Sakura couldn't really hate this girl. Yes, she was shy and nothing special, but she was important enough that Sasuke had chosen her, and that counted for something. She seemed nice enough. Sakura remembered a time when she too had been desperate for acceptance once.

Still. Something held her back from fully embracing the idea of this girl. She found she didn't quite have it in her.

Sasuke, in the background up to this point, placed a hand on Kirika's shoulder as if to remind her that he was indeed still there. She jumped. "Oh, right, Sasuke-kun," she stammered. The smile Sakura wore now became a bit strained as she heard that name again. _Sasuke-kun. _The fact that it had not spilled from her own lips wrenched at her heart. But she had to accept the fact that it never would again.

"Well, it was good to see you again, Sasuke," Sakura said, keeping her tone light and happy when she felt anything but. She noticed his eyes widen a slight fraction at the absence of the endearing suffix she used to use so commonly. "I'll see you both around."

Tenten and Hinata only stared at their friend as she turned and walked away, a reserved expression never leaving her face. What had they expected? For her to burst into tears? For her to snap and lunge at the new girl? Well, she could have been a better actress, but Sakura believed she handled that rather well. Now, all she had to do was just avoid the couple for the rest of eternity and she'd be all set.

"Teme!" An obtrusively loud voice cut through the tension like a foghorn, startling everyone out of their current thoughts. He rushed up to Sasuke, fist raised and ready to deck him one. Sasuke easily blocked it, but was caught by surprise as Naruto continued to fall forward, eventually crushing a shocked Sasuke into a bear hug.

"If everyone weren't around I'd be crushing you into a pulp, asshole," Naruto growled from Sasuke's back. Sasuke attempted to disentangle Naruto's arms from himself, but Naruto seemed to have acquired a strength that even Sasuke struggled with. He settled for giving a small 'hmph' and waited for Naruto to detach himself.

"At least you've gained some self-control, dobe," he muttered.

Naruto pulled back and stared at Sasuke's face, searching for any trace of the violent, power-hungry man who had abandoned them all. Seeing only resignation and a hint of exasperation, he pushed aside his own reservations and turned his attention to the startled, waif-like girl practically cowering beside him. The Big Talk could wait. They were causing a scene.

"And who's this?" Naruto asked, peering down at Kirika as if she were a scared rabbit in a cage. "Where'd you get this one? Better hope Sakura-chan doesn't see her."

Sasuke shot him a warning glare, but it bounced off of Naruto, who may have grown but had not left his obliviousness. Kirika, however, was curious.

"Why would she be upset?" she asked cautiously, daring to stand up a little straighter.

"Well," Naruto began in an offhand tone, not even feeling the murderous intent emanating from Sasuke in waves, "Sakura-chan would probably burst into tears if she saw that Sasuke-teme came back with a girlfriend—OW, teme! What was that for?" Naruto wailed, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head where Sasuke had just whacked him. His eyes fell to Kirika, whose eyes were now fixated on the ground.

"Oh, no…" Kirika whispered. "Sakura-san…" Sasuke made sure Naruto didn't miss his scowl this time. The blonde slowly backed away.

"Well, sorry guys, gotta go, ramen calls," he said, laughing for no reason other than to cover his mistake. And then he was gone in a poof of smoke, a jutsu Sasuke was sure he had picked up from Kakashi.

Tsunade's office was in pandemonium. Shizune was busy herding men away from the Hokage's desk as they shouted over one another, demanding attention, all wanting the same thing: that Uchiha Sasuke be brought to justice for his crimes against the village.

A vein was steadily thrumming in Tsunade's forehead, a clear warning sign if there ever was one, but the crowd's only concern was making themselves heard. It wasn't until she snapped, slapped her palms on her desk and shouted "ENOUGH!" that they fell silent and stepped back, ashamed.

"Now," she began, glowering at them all, "It's obvious that you are here for one reason only. And my response to you is that Uchiha Sasuke will receive a fitting punishment for his abandonment of the village. I will inform you all of my decision when _I _have taken the time to make it! Now clear out!"

Grumbling but sufficiently chastised, the crowd eventually dispersed, leaving an exhausted Tsunade alone as Shizune returned with a cup of sake.

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune started before she could stop herself. "What do you suppose you will have to do?"

The corners of Tsunade's mouth lowered so much at the question that Shizune was almost tempted to lift them up with her fingers. After a long minute, Tsunade grasped the offered sake cup and downed it in one gulp.

"We'll see if he has any information to trade for a lighter sentence." She lowered her head and massaged her throbbing temples. "But until then, I just don't know. Send one of Ibiki's men to collect him tomorrow. We'll have to deal with this as soon as possible."


	2. Naruto

I Should Have Known

Chapter Two

Sakura used to love it when Naruto went into one of his rare mature moods. Those times where he would get all quiet and contemplative, where Sakura could actually hold a respectable conversation with him without it ending in a solid punch to the poor boy's face. Oh, how she used to anticipate those moods. But after a while, Sakura caught on, and it became clear that his normally carefree attitude shifted only when Naruto had something to say that he deemed truly important. And usually, Sakura would not like what he wanted to discuss.

Over the years, these types of conversations rarely strayed from a certain theme. Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto and Sakura.

Why Sakura couldn't let go when Naruto was right there waiting for her.

Sakura wasn't the only one who had changed in the last six years. Naruto had grown tall and lean, and had a confidence and ability to lead that had the village when peacetime was no longer an option. He had become an invaluable partner and comrade in battle, and although he never outgrew his boyish charm, there was a certain weight to his expressions now. Settled onto his now broad shoulders was the responsibility of the village, and most importantly the responsibility of caring for Sakura.

His "promise" had changed; they had decided that one long afternoon filled with loaded silences and shifted gazes. Sasuke could not be brought back until he wanted to he brought back. Until then, Naruto had a new promise: that he would keep Sakura healthy and happy to the best of his ability.

The problem with this new promise lay in Naruto's feelings. His childhood crush on Sakura had gradually faded away when he began to accept that her heart would always belong to Sasuke. After he left, however, things changed. Sakura was now alone. There was a void to fill. And Naruto could not stand back and watch when he had the opportunity to fill that void.

They hadn't brought it up for a long time, but he had tried to kiss her once, after a grueling, sweltering day of training. Sakura had fought well, even landing a few hits on him, keeping her chakra in check so as not to cause any lasting damage. Naruto had marveled at her ability, her now feline grace and strength. Sakura slumped against a tree, her eyes closed, pouring water from a bottle over her forehead as the sun beat down on them. Naruto could not remember seeing a girl more beautiful than at that moment. And before she had even opened her eyes, he had knelt down level to her face and touched his hand to her cheek.

Sakura's eyes flew open and as he leaned in she twisted her face to the side. They stayed that way, cheek to cheek for a few seconds, and Naruto finally sighed. Standing up, he walked off toward Ichiraku's without a goodbye.

It was the smallest of moments, but from then on, their dynamic had changed.

Today was one of those times where he had a serious talk to deliver. Naruto stood in front of her with fathomless blue eyes, asking her to join him for ramen, and Sakura had immediately flinched, almost spitting out a hurried 'no' before even considering the matter. They were friends, but the last person she wanted to talk about Sasuke with was Naruto. There was nothing that she could say to him. Ichiraku had become more of a meeting place than a place for food, Sakura noticed. So when Naruto approached her with that "let's talk about Sasuke" look in his eyes, she knew she didn't have a pleasant afternoon to look forward to.

It had to have been something in Naruto's slightly defeated face that made her accept. She could never say no to that face, and she had a moment of weakness. She found herself striding silently next to him as he led the way to the ramen stand he still adored even after his childhood passed. They slipped onto the bar stools, and it was a few minutes before either spoke. This was enough time for the man behind the counter to place bowls of their usual order in front of them with a smile. Sakura mumbled her thanks and inhaled the familiar scent of broth and chicken.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto never did drop the old habit of attaching that suffix to her name. "It's about Sasuke."

"I know it is," Sakura said softly, crossing her arms in a subconscious defense.

"This won't take long. I just have a few things I want to say, anyway."

"Okay." Sakura knew what he was up to. And as much as she wanted to avoid discussing her old love, she knew Naruto couldn't do that. They would have to deal with Sasuke's return sooner or later, and definitely before either of them saw Sasuke again.

Word had traveled fast in the village, and apparently some sort of reunion dinner had been set up, where many of the ninja of their generation were coming to catch up and demand answers. Sakura was sure there would be a large crowd, not because they felt any real connection to the boy but because most couldn't resist a good scandal.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto placed a hand over hers, and it was all she could do to resist sliding her fingers out of his grasp. But she owed it to him. He never mentioned that training day in the months that followed, and he had been an unswervingly loyal friend to her. Perhaps he had even given up on her.

"Don't turn into the person you were before. Don't go after him. You've come so far."

Now she did pull her hand out of his reach, suddenly angry. "I'm not some fawning fangirl anymore," Sakura snapped, not intending to sound so harsh. "Sasuke is in the past. Maybe you can remain his friend, but I can't. And no, it's not for the reason that you think."

She blew out a frustrated sigh. It was always like this; every few months or so Naruto would check up on her, to see how she was doing in a life without the avenger. What did she care? Why _should _she care, after that missing-nin betrayed them all, betrayed _her?_

"I'm sorry," Naruto mumbled in a quick retreat, obviously mistaking her sudden show of anger for defensiveness of her "still present" feelings. _Please_, she thought. He knew nothing about her anymore.

"No, I am," Sakura interrupted before he could add to his utterance, deflating a little. Naruto was concerned; he couldn't help that. "I didn't mean to take my frustrations out on you. I'm just…so angry, is all." She twirled one of the chopsticks in her soup between her fingers. "I didn't expect to be this angry."

"Sakura-chan, it's okay that you're mad. I'm pretty pissed too," Naruto admitted. "But he came back for us. He didn't come back with some kind of agenda. Things will probably never be the same that they were before, but we can all go back to being friends again."

He was so simple. She and Sasuke could never be friends again. "It's not that easy, Naruto. He left us. And you seem to think we should just accept him back with open arms."

Naruto frowned and looked out at the people strolling by in the market. "Of course it isn't easy," he muttered without looking at her. "But you can't shut him out just because of your feelings. That's not fair to anyone. We need the team back."

Sakura stood up sharply, the chopstick dropping out of her hands. "The team? There is no _team_, Naruto." He looked surprised, but still refused to meet her eyes. And she knew that it wasn't really about the team.

"Naruto, listen to me. Whatever feelings you think I have for him are gone. You don't have to get so protective. I would never hang on to someone who _abandoned_ us."

"Right. Because from what I've seen over the years, you're completely fine and have no issues," Naruto said bitterly. "You're deluding yourself, Sakura."

In that instant, Sakura's temper flared. She wanted to slap him. Beat him until he took it back. Grasp his face in her hands and force him to look at her. He crossed the line.

"Get over yourself. This isn't about him, or you, or anyone else. And I don't care what you think you know about my feelings. _I don't love Sasuke anymore_."

Her friend finally turned to face her, but his gaze slid past her. She was about to shout at him again, to make him look at her and believe what she was saying, but his eyes were suddenly focused.

Slowly, she turned, and found an impassive Sasuke taking a seat a few stools down. Kirika was still standing, her mouth slightly open at what she had just heard.

Sakura's mouth went dry.

Kirika seemed to collect herself. "It's nice to see you again, Sakura-san," she said politely as she took the seat next to them. Though she seemed relatively together, it was obvious that Kirika and Sasuke had caught the tail end of the conversation.

"You too," Sakura managed to reply as she attempted to gather her wits, "Kirika-san…Sasuke." She didn't dare look at the dark man at the end of the bar.

"It's quite a surprise to see you here," Kirika said after showing a light smile. "Sasuke-kun said that his best friend often ate here."

That explained why they had shown up at the worst possible moment. "And so you asked if he could take you," Sakura finished. "Well, I don't much care for ramen myself, but we always met here in the old days." She glanced at Sasuke and it was only then that she finally caught the intense stare he gave her. Her eyes widened. She hadn't expected that. Suddenly the air became a little too hot.

She returned to her seat, giving Kirika a halfhearted smile, and felt a guilty twinge for yelling as the girl looked kindly but warily back.

"Sorry about my little outburst there," she said to both Kirika and Naruto. Naruto, after letting his jaw hang open at the ill-timed appearance of the couple, quickly shut his mouth.

"It's okay, Sakura-chan," Naruto responded dismissively before taking a large gulp of his ramen broth. "You were trying to make a point."

Sakura was about to go further and mention that there were better ways she could have handled the situation, but she had already apologized, hadn't she? Frankly, she was tired of apologizing. It seemed to be all she did these days.

She pushed away the rest of her ramen. She didn't feel all that hungry anymore. "You know, I think I'm done with lunch. I'm going to head back home. Thanks for taking me out, Naruto." She tossed some money down onto the bar to pay for her own bowl and tried to ignore the fact that Naruto still wasn't looking at her. "I'll see you all at the reunion dinner tonight." Firmly ordering herself to plant one foot in front of the other, she stepped out of the stand.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice stopped her in her tracks, as if Kakashi had just taken hold of her leg from the ground below in that jutsu he loved so much.

"Yes?" she breathed, turning around but not enough to actually face him.

"It's good to see you again," he said simply. A final sentence. There was nothing more to add, and nothing that she could say in response. Sakura gave a brief nod and regained her ability to walk. That dinner. Yes, she would see them all then. She just couldn't deal with this right now.

The dinner was a much more comfortable event than Sakura had dared to hope for. It was held at a large restaurant in the main district, by the Hokage tower. Though the lights were dim and inviting it was clear that this place was intended for large, cheerful gatherings. The tabletops were wooden with a cherry finish, and almost everything was colored a deep red, from the napkins to the wall hangings to the bar positioned in the far corner of the building. The air was humid and dank with the heavy smell of smoke and alcohol as men laughed and clinked mugs of beer or puffed on cigars at the bar. The tables were clearly meant for a community gathering as there were only three and stretched from one end of the room to the other in rows.

Sasuke and Kirika were too busy being reintroduced to old friends to speak to Sakura properly. Actually, they had managed to say only a few words of hello to her before the crowd of people outdid her in vying for the couple's attention.

"Wow, Sasuke, you picked a very nice girl."

"So shy, though. Are you okay, Kirika-san?"

"Hey, Sasuke, Shikamaru wants to talk over drinks at the bar."

"Oh, Kirika-san, you remind me of someone, but I can't put my finger on it…"

The conversations went on for hours, much more than dinner was supposed to last. Sasuke's "old acquaintances" turned out to be pretty much everyone in Konoha within a few years of his age, and then also a few teachers and mentors to add to the crowd. The rush of people never stopped. How long did Sakura have to stay before she could slip out unnoticed?

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called happily as he plopped down next to her, their earlier fight apparently forgotten. He swung a mug in his hand, the alcohol clearly loosening up his concern for his former teammate. That lazy grin she was so used to seeing was plastered back on his face. 'Plastered' was actually a very appropriate word to use in this case, Sakura noted. The faint red stain on Naruto's cheeks told her that much.

"Naruto." She cautiously slipped her fingers inside the handle of his mug and took it from him with a smile. "One of these days you're going to hurt yourself," she teased.

"Sakura-chaaan, I needed that!" Naruto whined. "It tasted so good…"

"Which is exactly why I'm not letting you have this," she stated firmly. "Any more and you're going to fall on your face. Go talk to Sasuke, okay? I'm going to leave now."

As she stood up, Naruto caught hold of her arm. Sakura whirled to face him, prepared to smack him lightly on the head, but something in his face stopped her.

"Stay," he croaked, his fingers closed around her sleeve. "If not for Sasuke…for me."

Sakura was not in the mood to decode that statement. Wordlessly Sakura looked at him, then gave in and slid back into her chair. She had disappointed him enough today. Naruto smiled at her and put an arm around her shoulders. Sakura leaned forward and put her chin in her hand, his arm still around her, and listened to more of the drone of the crowd. Sasuke and Kirika had moved to the opposite side of her table, a few yards down, and she could hear the onlookers clearly.

"Kirika-chan, I can buy you a drink if you'd like…" One man slurred.

"She doesn't want to." This time, the voice was Sasuke's, cold and firm.

Kirika pouted at him. "Sasuke-kun, I can handle one drink," she insisted.

"Not from _him._"

The corner of Sakura's mouth upturned in a smirk at Sasuke's protectiveness. Even though the time had long passed when he was protective of _her_, she still had to appreciate the intimidation Sasuke still had over the rest of the men in the village. She was sure Kirika would be left alone now. The dark-haired girl shifted uncomfortably, a pretty blush across her cheeks. She clung to Sasuke's arm for the entire duration of the meal, and Sasuke did not pry himself loose. Sakura had to marvel at this. Him not pulling away was the equivalent of a public display of affection in Sasuke terms.

Sakura felt so detached by the scene that she wished she could pick up an imaginary remote and change the channel. Or, better yet, if she could turn it all off entirely. This was pathetic. Watching the couple was more than she could stand.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I really want to go," she insisted once more. "It's been over two hours."

Naruto gave her his sulking face, but let her go. Quietly, she slipped away and walked around the busy tables toward the door. She barely noticed Sasuke turn to look at her over his shoulder over the crowd as she closed the door behind her.

Sakura made her way around the back of the restaurant, past the garbage dumpsters and past the fence she used to spy on Kakashi from when she was still on a quest to view his face. It was odd how many memories she had in this village, and even odder that Sasuke hadn't been there for most of the ones she remembered. Being gone for so many years could do that. The bitterness returned, but also a lingering sadness.

Beneath her hurt, she had _missed_ him. And she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out before she said something to Sasuke. She wasn't sure whether she would explode at him and pound him for deserting her, or whether she would break down and admit that his disappearance had changed her, and not all of it for the good.

Sasuke was like a tornado to her. Violent and intimidating, a force that she kept her distance from but couldn't stop from returning to observe. Then without warning she was sucked back in, entirely out of her control.

"Sa…" Sakura sensed someone stumble drunkenly behind her, and snapped out of her thoughts. "Sakura-chan…"

"Naruto?" She swiveled to find him clutching the white fence for support. His ever-present smile was absent.

"Don't…don't go," he mumbled as he peered at her through tired-looking eyes.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" Sakura asked with a sigh. "Go home."

"Sakura-chan." The way he said her name was a bit unsettling. It resembled a mixture of worry and desperation, both at once. "Stop leaving."

Sakura smiled, amused at his incoherence. Naruto was fighting for balance as he trudged over to her, coming closer and closer until practically invading her personal space. _He's completely done_, Sakura thought, leaning away. "Your breath is awful."

"You always leave," he accused, ignoring her comment. "Every time Sasuke is nearby, you always leave me, and you go seek him out." His words were a bit slurred, and the situation became less funny.

Sakura's brow furrowed. "I'm not going anywhere this time," she assured him, grasping his shoulder to steady him. "I know Sasuke coming back has made you worried. But really, Naruto. That's all in the past now."

"You will. You always will," Naruto said, his voice gaining strength. He staggered into her, and Sakura instinctively took a few steps back, only to meet a cement wall. "You'll always leave me for Sasuke."

Sakura gasped loudly when Naruto's palms slammed into the concrete on either side of her head, preventing her from moving as he closed in on her. "Sasuke always comes first…"

Everything around Sakura grew hazy as she processed what was happening. Naruto was much too close to her. One of his hands lifted from the concrete to tangle in her hair. His body was pressing into hers, and his face was so close that she could almost taste the alcohol in the air from his breath. Oh, God. She hadn't seen him this hammered since the last Christmas party when he had climbed one of the beams in the restaurant and promptly fallen on his head.

"Naruto, I don't know what's going on. I need to get you home," she said, attempting to move away but finding herself utterly caged.

"You don't know how things have been for me," came the reply, and she was struck by the accusation in his words. "I've done so much to help you, to be the one you turn to, your best friend. Sakura, I want to be the one you look at. Not him. Never him."

Sakura paused her escape plans as his words hit her. For so long she had hoped that he had just moved on. She'd thought that he had accepted that she wasn't for him, wasn't for anyone, and had maybe even turned his attentions toward Hinata. Hell, she hadn't even seen him much in the past month due to his missions and her time at the hospital.

That one second was all he needed. Sakura started to say something, but was cut off sharply. Now she really could taste the alcohol; his mouth slanted over hers hungrily, his hands pressing her up against the wall. Any will she might have had to speak intensified tenfold as she struggled to free herself from him. But it was too late; his grip had latched around her back, molding her small frame to the muscles of his chest.

"Na…Naruto-!" Her sentence was something he eagerly took advantage of, and his tongue swept past her lips into her open mouth. This didn't make sense at all. She never expected this from him. It was as if his mind said, _I'm tired of sitting here waiting. Just kiss her and be done with it already._

"Naruto," she pleaded between kisses, her forearms on his chest in an attempt to block him while she spoke. "This has to stop. This isn't like you."

At her words, he paused, and pulled back enough to scowl at her.

"You don't understand, Sakura-chan," he growled, holding her tight. "I would never leave you. I would be here for you no matter what happens. He can't give you what I can."

She was still as his words sank into her. He was right. Naruto was a breath of fresh air in a world that had gotten far too depressing. He was always beside her when things were tough. Pushing her on when sparring became so intense she wanted to collapse, encouraging her when Tsunade made her heal for hours. Made her laugh over stupid things when she came to him with every intent to cry.

Naruto would never leave.

As much as it would have been for the best to just sharply push him away with chakra-enhanced strength and tell him in no uncertain terms how she felt, there was just a brief second of guilt. A brief second of doubt, where she thought, _What if? What if this is actually what I need? Rays of sun rather than cool, detached darkness?_

"Hinata…"

"Forget about Hinata, Sakura." Naruto's eyes bored into hers for a moment, and Sakura's struggles ceased. "Think about me. Don't ever think about Sasuke. He isn't ever going to be the kind of man that you need."

The weight of that sentence hung in the air. And the moment passed.

He seemed to sense her hesitation, and his grip softened. Sakura closed her eyes as he kissed her again, softer this time. His strong hands slid from her back to her neck, less of a restraint now. Sakura sighed into the kiss, thoughts wiped from her mind. Maybe this, _this_ was what she needed. Maybe she could just forget about everything else and just let this happen.

An image of Sasuke flashed through her mind.

She gasped and struggled out of Naruto's grasp. Confusion clouded his face, but the moment he realized she was pulling away his arms became a cage again.

"I can't do this, I can't," she spoke rapidly, brushing her hair out of her face and staring pleadingly at the ground. "This isn't fair to you and I can't just let you—you can't—I can't—"

Naruto's sharp exhale relayed his frustration without her having to look up. He was angry again.

"Sakura! Why him? Why can't it ever be me?" He was shouting, anguished and furious. "I've been there for everything! Why can you still not accept that?"

"Let go, Naruto!" She was crying now, her hot tears streaming down. Naruto was everywhere, accusing her, pointing out her weakness, and exposing that was more than she could bear.

"He's done nothing for you!"

"Naruto, get off of me!"

"Oi."

That voice was very familiar, so familiar in fact that Naruto froze. Sakura's panicked eyes, if it were even possible, widened further.

"I don't think she likes that very much," Uchiha Sasuke spoke again, looking for all the world like the man who had stepped in front of her to save her in the Forest of Death. Her breath caught.

Naruto glared. "What do you know?" he hissed. "Do you know anything at all about her, Sasuke?" The friendliness, the eagerness Naruto had shown upon Sasuke's arrival at the village was nowhere to be found now. Instead, it was replaced with an icy tone that made Sakura shiver. It was the tone that Naruto's enemies heard right before they met Rasengan.

"I know enough to tell that she wants out of that wall you've shoved her into," Sasuke deadpanned. His eyes drifted over Sakura's hands on Naruto's chest, halted mid-struggle.

"What would you know?" Naruto demanded again. "You've been gone so fucking long that she's completely changed. She isn't the same Sakura-chan," he added, his voice growing softer and sadder. His glare snapped up to meet Sasuke's again. "And it's because of you!"

"That's enough." Sasuke's uncaring attitude had changed to coldness, his own anger seeping into the air. "Release her now before someone sees you, and I can bet you won't become the Rokudaime after that."

Naruto glared, and after a long stare, relinquished his hold on Sakura's arms. "Bastard," he spat. "You defect from this village and you threaten me? You don't know anything about what just happened." He took one step toward Sasuke, but seemed to think better of it as Sakura reached forward to catch his arm. His expression was blank as he tugged his arm back.

Slowly, he staggered out of the alley and turned the corner, out of sight.

With trembling hands, Sakura pulled at her clothing to straighten it, hastily attempting to reclaim her dignity before the stoic Uchiha. He did nothing but stand there, waiting for her to finish.

"Can you get home?" he asked her.

Humiliated and wanting to lash out, Sakura could only draw herself up and give him a defiant stare. "Yes. I'm sorry you had to witness that."

Sasuke walked over to her slowly, never tense, never hurried. His ability to keep calm in any situation had always slightly unnerved her. He scanned her face, and she suddenly lost the ability to breathe. His eyes were searching, and she wondered what he saw there.

"Your makeup is running."

Her face burned. Regaining control of her legs, she pushed past him, not trusting herself to speak.

She was almost out of the alley when she heard him call after her.

"You're still weak."

Slowly she turned to face him. She hated him. Hated his impassive face, hated his indifferent demeanor. This man was the reason everything she had was gone.

"Screw you. You know nothing about me," she bit out, echoing Naruto. She turned again, clutching her shirt as her heart pounded.

The back door to the restaurant creaked, and Sakura heard someone hurry out. "Oh, thank goodness, there you are!" Kirika exclaimed, the light and noise from the restaurant filtering through the opening in the door behind her.

And there was Kirika. She had forgotten there was a Kirika.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Sasuke-kun…" she trailed off as she spotted Sakura, and Sakura could see her taking note of Sakura's messy hair and rumpled clothing, and of the sweat that trickled down the side of her face. "Are you okay, Sakura-san? Did something happen?"

"I'm fine," Sakura said automatically. "I've had too much to drink, and I'm just heading home."

She watched as Kirika looked her over worryingly, and suddenly realized exactly how this looked. Sasuke and herself, alone in an alley, her in complete disarray. She was amazed that not a trace of suspicion surfaced in Kirika's expression.

"Oh, do you need help getting home? Where do you live?" the girl asked, hurrying forward to assist. Sakura waved her off.

"It's okay, really, Kirika, I'm fine." _Go away._

"At least let me heal you a little so you don't get a hangover tomorrow. It's not much, but I can at least do that," Kirika insisted.

"I'm a medic-nin, I don't really get hangovers. My system heals itself overnight." Kirika looked so downcast at being useless that Sakura softened. "Are you training to be a medic, too?"

She almost kicked herself for asking the question, when she just wanted to run home, but Kirika was going so far out of her way to be nice. The good girl that was still somewhere in Sakura demanded that she try a little harder to be nice to this girl.

Kirika beamed excitedly. "Yes! It's been put on hold for a bit since I had to leave my country, but I'm getting there. Hopefully I won't just be healing, though."

"You're training to fight, too?" Sakura really couldn't see this slight, frail girl on a battlefield. She would be crushed.

A fire lit in Kirika's eyes, and Sakura knew something had happened to her to make her want to gain strength. Perhaps when she was fleeing her village. She knew the feeling well.

"I've sat by, unable to do anything. And people have died because of it. I'm pretty fragile myself, but I have to try. At least this way, I can try my best to protect all of my important people."

A determined glint shone in her eyes.

"That way, I won't ever be weak again."

Sakura threw a sharp look at Sasuke, who hastily averted his eyes. She saw guilt there. He knew what she was thinking. And she wasn't even going to try decoding the implications behind his choice in companion.

This nice, sweet girl Sasuke had brought home was just like Sakura had been before he had left, standing here with her fists clenched. The same shyness. The same vulnerability. And above all, the same determination to avoid the word that had plagued her during her darkest months.

She saw a replica of her old self.

It was right then that Sakura decided.

She hated this girl.


	3. Sasuke

I Should Have Known

Chapter Three

The next morning she spotted Naruto waiting for her at the fruit stand on her way to work, hunting for mangoes to keep himself busy until she got there. He looked haggard, obviously hung over, stubble on his face from not having shaved since yesterday. Still, he was there, ready to…what? Apologize? She felt like she had been slugged in the stomach; completely unprepared and doubled over. Her own guilt slammed into her like a freight train.

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto called weakly to her, and she slowed to a stop. She would have liked nothing more than to keep walking, to ignore the issue at hand and let it sink into the back of her mind until she was ready to tackle it. But this wasn't a simple matter of her being angry. It wasn't a matter of him apologizing, and her coming around. She had been an equal participant.

For just a moment, she had let him believe that he had won.

Her own indecision had caused this. That moment in the alley was not a time to be having second thoughts. Looking at Naruto and wondering whether he was the right choice after all? She had had years to think about that. And those tiny few minutes last night were just about the worst possible time she could have faltered. He may have been pushy, but she was every bit as much in the wrong.

The air was tense and two sets of eyes stayed fixated on the ground. Neither could truly face the other. She knew that if she so much as glanced at him, his desperate, anguished eyes would melt her into trying to put it past them. He clearly felt that their friendship was too strong to disintegrate over one event. In a way, he was right. But nothing would ever be the same now. They couldn't handle this.

An entire conversation passed between them before either spoke a word.

She slowly forced herself to raise her gaze to him. She could at least give him that much.

It was then she noticed that the corner of Naruto's mouth was smeared with crimson liquid, and the swelling of the area told Sakura that he had been punched, probably within the last hour. Sakura was too agitated then to wonder who did it, or why.

"Sakura…please." No suffix to her name. That special honorific was only dropped when Naruto was at the end of his rope. Naruto had the look of a man who would give up his dream of being Hokage just to take back what had happened. What he did. What he said. The boy was so sickeningly earnest, it made her want to cry.

"It wasn't just you, Naruto," Sakura spoke, and she fought to keep her voice calm and unwavering. "I'm not angry."

Naruto's face visibly relaxed in relief but his jaw still clenched. He ran his hand through his hair and looked up at her under his eyelashes.

"I…" He swallowed hard, and Sakura watched his Adam's apple bob a little. "Sakura-chan. I never...never meant to do that. Or say what I said. I don't know what made me get like that. And I never meant to make you feel like…instead of protecting you, you had to be protected from me." He let out a low, sour laugh.

"Naruto, I could have pushed you away much sooner than I did. My hesitation made it all a lot more complicated than it needed to be. I could have been clear from the start, but I wasn't." She exhaled sharply. "I can't be angry at you without looking at myself."

Naruto's brow knitted in confusion, and she prayed to Kami that he wouldn't ask what she meant by that. She didn't know how to sort out how she felt about anything right now. She could no sooner tell him to stay away forever than she could tell him to come closer. Her head was a jumbled wreck of emotion and thought and…

She just needed to get away and _think_ for a damn moment.

"I…Naruto, I have to go," she said slowly. "I'll catch up with you later."

Had this been an entirely different situation, just a fight between friends, she might have broken her resolve and enfolded the blonde in a tight hug. She would have stroked his hair and whispered soothing assurances that it was okay, that everything would be all right and that she didn't blame either of them. But it wasn't okay. It might be at some point, but that point was not now.

She could see in his eyes that this was far from the resolution he had been hoping for, but he didn't push her. Despite the fact that everything was very _not_ okay, when she silently brushed past him, she felt no resistance.

She knew that if she looked back she'd see Naruto staring after her, regret clearly visible in his eyes. Somewhere during the conversation, the fruits he held had dropped to the ground, forgotten.

"Sasuke-kun, what are we doing here?" Kirika asked as he walked to the old training grounds he remembered so vividly.

"Visiting old memories," he replied softly. Though he offered no details, Kirika understood what he needed.

"Okay, Sasuke-kun. I'll just wait over here, all right?" she walked over to a rather thick tree and settled herself at its base, smoothing her long baby blue skirt as she did so.

Sasuke watched her out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention to the stretch of forest before him, the small clearing surrounding it just as he remembered. The area was calm and sunny, and a light breeze drifted through, swaying Sasuke's hair and causing Kirika's skirt to flutter gently. He walked slowly through it, taking in the sights and smells and breathing in the fresh, clean air. Words couldn't say how much he missed this.

"Tenten, you dragged me all this way just to train?" Sakura's impatient voice carried through the grounds, and Sasuke scanned the clearing until he found her scowling at her friend while Hinata trotted behind like a shy puppy.

"You know we're both out of practice," Tenten replied dismissively as she dropped Sakura's hand. "Besides, I didn't bring you here just to train."

"Hinata, save me," Sakura moaned. Hinata just giggled and shook her head. She couldn't handle Tenten's energy and they both knew it.

"Oh, Sasuke! Good to see you," Tenten called, and she waved. Sasuke observed Sakura freeze with a little amusement.

"Tenten." He gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"We were just about to train," Tenten continued.

"I noticed."

"Well, would you like to join us?" the kunoichi invited.

"Actually," Sakura quickly cut in beside her friend, "he most likely has things to do to settle back into the village. I'm sure there's a lot of paperwork to be done and things to buy, right, Sasuke?"

Sasuke wasn't stupid; he knew Sakura was trying to get rid of him. It was tempting to stay around just to spite her, but he just wasn't that kind of person.

"I'm about to leave," Sasuke admitted. He just wanted to get a good look at his old grounds anyway. Perhaps the top of the old Hokage monument was next. He motioned for Kirika to join him, and she scurried over.

"Oh, well, then, you won't get to see how much stronger Sakura's become!" Tenten said slyly. He didn't miss Sakura shooting her friend a warning look, but Tenten was very purposefully ignoring her.

"Well, that's good that she has," Sasuke replied, not taking the bait. He raised a sardonic eyebrow at Sakura, and she clearly got the implication. He was thinking about last night. Her fruitless attempts to push Naruto away. Sakura's face heated in embarrassment and anger.

"Well, at least watch Sakura do one technique," Tenten offered. What was she trying to do? How much had Sakura said to this girl about the encounter outside the bar?

Regardless, he was a bit curious to see if Sakura had done anything with herself in all of the years he'd been gone. If she wanted to prove herself in some way to him for old time's sake, then he would let her.

"One," Sasuke relented. He smirked as if to say '_I'll humor you,'_ and watched as Sakura's aggravation grew.

"Okay!" Tenten cried happily. She whirled on Sakura. "Okay, show him that ground-punchy-thing you always do. It worked for Kakashi. Naruto told me about the look on his face!"

This time, it was Sakura's turn to raise an eyebrow. "First of all, that 'ground-punchy-thing' as you call it has too wide of a range. It could hit both Sasuke and Kirika-san. I doubt that would really impress them."

"One minute." Sasuke secured his hands around Kirika's waist and jumped up onto a thick branch. Kirika squeaked, but was for the most part unsurprised. After all, he'd taken her out of danger several times before. "By all means, continue."

Sakura glared up at him. He merely smirked back at her, deciding to entertain her. This didn't improve her look one bit.

"All right," Sakura conceded. "Tenten, Hinata, please stand back."

"And don't hold back, Sakura!" Tenten reminded her. "He should see the full extent of it." She clearly wanted her friend to show off. Perhaps Sakura hadn't put her up to it. Kami, matchmaking friends were annoying.

"Yeah, yeah." Sakura stepped to the middle of the clearing, and took a deep breath. In a moment of curiosity, Sasuke activated his Sharingan to watch her mold her chakra, and was pleasantly surprised. Her reserves had grown exponentially bigger. It was quite obvious that she'd trained extensively in his absence.

As Sakura exhaled, she drew as much chakra as the technique required, and maybe a little more, into her hand. It surrounded her fist in a bright gleam. It was a very fitting attack for her to use; it seemed to draw strength from her emotions, and right now her chakra was practically pulsing with them.

She raised her fist with purpose before slamming it into the ground, giving it one last spurt of chakra. The ground shook as her fist crunched right through the rocky surface, and suddenly the ground was filled with large, deep cracks. They raced from the spot, stopping only at the very edges of the clearing, some even traveling along the sides of the tree trunks. Then, the clearing collapsed into a shallow crater.

Kirika yelped and grasped Sasuke's shirt as the ground spilt open and the tree swayed. Sasuke's eyes widened at the display. Sakura did that? Being honest, it was hard to see how that much power could come from that girl's tiny fists. Sasuke grudgingly had to respect her for it, and seeing her furiously proud face glaring up at him brought an unbidden thought to his mind.

_She's different. A woman now._

Sasuke shook his head, immediately irritated with her.

"Sakura-san, that was incredible!" Kirika exclaimed from their perch. Sasuke leapt down to the grassy area beneath the tree and set her on the ground. "I had no idea that a medic-nin could do that."

"If you have the right teacher and good chakra control, you can," Sakura replied as she walked up to them.

"Hopefully I'll have a teacher of my own, someday. It was great, wasn't it, Sasuke-kun?" She whirled to face Sasuke.

"Hn. Powerful, but not that practical of a technique," he stated with a half-smile. Sakura scowled.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're mean," Tenten scolded, but her eyes were playful. "Would you mind terribly if we took Kirika out to lunch? We haven't had much time to talk to her yet."

"I'd like that," Kirika said before Sasuke could reply. Still, she glanced back at Sasuke to make sure it was okay. He inclined his head to indicate it was, and a happy Tenten linked her arm with Kirika's.

"Come on, Hinata," she said. "Sakura and Sasuke probably have a lot to catch up on anyway."

_Hold on, _thought Sakura. _You're kidding. _The setup was so obvious!

"Guys. Seriously?" Sakura said, spreading her arms. Tenten only smiled sweetly, the same smile she always had when she was up to something.

"It's okay, we don't mind. We'll meet up around four, okay?" And she turned before another word could be said. The three girls headed down the road, Tenten easily filling the shy silence as they strode to Ichiraku's.

Sakura gave Sasuke a fleeting look to see his reaction, but he wasn't looking at her. He stood at the edge of the crater she had made, peering down at it with a thoughtful expression. She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

He returned her accusing stare and smirked. "You've completely destroyed our old training grounds. Good job."

Keeping herself in check lest she smack him for trying to get a rise out of her, she raised her hands in a gesture of nonchalance. "Eh. The cleanup crew will fix it in a few hours. They're fairly used to it by now."

Finding a comfortable spot on the grass at the side of the clearing, she sat down with her legs to the side. A shuffle of movement, and Sasuke joined her. Leaning back onto the ground, Sakura looked up at the brilliant sky and followed the clouds with her eyes, tufts of pure cotton drifting lazily overhead. They lay there for several silent minutes, each lost in their own world of thought, no sound save for the birdsong overhead and the babble of the creek. Sakura picked absentmindedly at the grass blades around her as she stared upwards, for once in a state of peace..

"I used to watch the clouds and wonder if you still ever thought of us out there," she whispered. She felt Sasuke turn his gaze on her, and he was silent for almost a minute, as though choosing his words carefully.

"I did," he admitted, finding the cloud she was tracking, the sun warming his face. "That was perhaps the hardest part."

Sakura propped herself up onto her elbows. "Why didn't you let us help you? We wouldn't have hesitated. If you had asked." Strands of her hair blew over her face, and she tucked them behind her ear.

Her old love was quiet again, but this never bothered her. He was always slow to respond, and she was patient. For when he finally did answer a questions, it tended to be something significant. Sasuke did not give throwaway answers.

"…It was my vendetta. It wasn't for you to shoulder."

"But we would have," Sakura said softly. "We would have for you."

Sasuke exhaled sharply.

"Perhaps…I should have let it happen. We accomplished much together." He shuffled to his feet and brushed off the grass, signaling that he wanted this conversation to end. "But it was best that you were left behind."

"Why, Sasuke? Why would you say that?" Sakura sat up fully and stared up at him. "You didn't seriously believe that we couldn't help you, did you?"

His unvoiced 'yes' spoke volumes. "I didn't want to leave. But you two couldn't have handled what I had in store for myself."

"Naruto nearly killed you when he went after you. You know he can handle himself just fine."

His eyes locked with hers. "Maybe _he_ could have."

Stunned, Sakura's temper swelled as she realized what he was saying. "You…you left us both. Because you thought I'd be a hindrance? Sasuke, I may have realized my shortcomings a bit late in the game, but I have _worked _to better myself_._ I would have done anything to be able to help!"

"You're weak, Sakura. You can't help that."

Sakura's mind reeled from that particular blow. How dare he. After all this time, he had no right. No right at all to say that.

"You arrogant, selfish man," she spoke in a low voice, gathering her hands into fists. "You're not even sorry for leaving us, are you? Sorry for leaving me here when I begged you?"

Sasuke looked out at the trees on the training ground, unwilling to be present in the conversation. "Sakura, don't be annoying. I didn't want your death on my hands. And I didn't need your help or anyone else's to accomplish my goal."

"_Really?" _Sakura was furious now. "Because you didn't seem to mind running to _Orochimaru_ for strength when you found out you were too pathetic on your own."

She noticed with satisfaction that he flinched, his face contorting with anger. When he looked at her, his eyes were steely and unforgiving.

"I had my reasons for doing what I did."

Sakura immediately saw that Sasuke was on the defensive. "If you remember_," _she sneered, "your so-called _reasons_ led you right back here. Now that you're finished, you expect us to welcome you with open arms."

"I didn't want to leave," Sasuke growled in a low and dangerous voice.

"No one forced you to! If I recall correctly, a certain person offered to give up anything to get you to stay."

There was silence between them, a fury-laden quiet that neither could stand.

Sasuke stared at her, and for the first time he realized that Sakura was dry-eyed. There was nothing in her eyes but anger, and the Sakura of years ago would have annoyingly cried at the first hint of tension.

"Do you still feel that emotion equals weakness, Sasuke?" Sakura was almost inaudible now, but it was such an enraged whisper that for a moment Sasuke could not concentrate on what she had said.

"We've strayed off the point. I'm not arguing this any longer." Sasuke turned his back on her, but he had barely taken two steps before Sakura grasped his arm.

"Just answer the damn question, Sasuke!" she yelled, but this time there was a tiny amount of desperation in her voice. "Are you still so hard-headed that you refuse to feel anything for anyone? What about Kirika, huh?"

Sasuke's eyes widened at the mention of the girl. "Why bring her up? Are you jealous that I might actually feel something for her?"

Sakura released his sleeve quickly as though she had been bitten. She stared him straight in the eyes, hurt at his attack on her, betrayal evident in her eyes.

"Just think about it. I don't give a damn whether you care, or ever cared, about me. But Kirika doesn't deserve the unbearable, unfeeling personality you _still_ have. She doesn't deserve you messing _her_ up, too." She slipped past him and walked away, not bothering to see his reaction.

Sasuke sighed, irritated. What a day. What a fight, even, and with the person he least expected. He had come a long way from the boy he used to be, but he couldn't ignore what she had said.

Truth be told, he had thought that she would move on after he left the village. Shallow girls always eventually got over him and moved on to someone else, onto more healthy relationships. He hadn't imagined that she would suffer this much because of his decision. _"She doesn't deserve you messing her up, too." _He'd be an idiot not to notice Sakura's bitter, defiant exterior, the way she talked back to him, standing tall and unapologetic. He had caused all that? A part of him said, _Good, she's grown up a bit, _but he was beginning to understand the cost of what it took to get there.

He thought it would be best if she eventually forgot him. It was disturbing to finally discover just how wrong he was.

"So," Tenten asked Kirika over a bowl of miso ramen, "how'd you and Sasuke get together anyway?"

"Well," she replied, giving Tenten a small smile, "He saved me from an enemy ambush near Mist—"

"No, no," Tenten waved her hand, "We already heard that story. I mean the story of how you managed to snag the most handsome guy in Konoha…and out of the village too, most likely." Tenten wiggled her eyebrows at Kirika, and the girl blushed. "How you became his girlfriend."

Kirika's eyes grew to saucers as she realized. "O-oh! Tenten-san, Sasuke-kun and I aren't together."

Tenten's scheming smile dropped. "What?"

"I'm traveling with him because I feel indebted to him, and he's been very kind to me. I'm staying along until I find a place to call home and find a way to repay him, but I'm not…I'm not Sasuke-kun's girlfriend."

"Did you hear that?" Tenten said at Hinata with an odd smile, as if were the most outrageous thing she'd ever heard. "She just said that she's not Sasuke's girlfriend." Hinata looked at her strangely.

"I gotta go! It's been fun." Tenten dropped a few bills onto the counter, gave Kirika a friendly wave, and bolted out of Ichiraku, dashing down the street.

"SAKURA!"


	4. Sakura

I Should Have Known

Chapter Four

"Sakura!" Tenten bellowed as she caught sight of her friend walking through the market, not even noticing the angry tilt to her lips. Poor, emotionally drained Sakura had been heading innocently back to her apartment when Tenten had ended her mad dash and nearly blown out her hearing.

After the incident at the training grounds, Sakura wanted nothing more than to disappear into her bathroom and melt into a steaming hot bath, complete with candles and Sasuke-free thoughts. She certainly deserved it, given the hell that man had put her through in the span of only two days. But now, here came Tenten, undoubtedly bringing yet another bit of information on Uchiha Sasuke.

"Ow! What, Tenten?" Sakura asked, annoyed as she touched her ear as though inspecting it for blood.

"Sasuke doesn't have a girlfriend!" Tenten said excitedly as she came to a halt. Sakura gave her ear another tentative rub before Tenten's words sank in. She surprised herself to find that all she felt was irritation at her friend. The news actually meant nothing to her. Well, that was a relief. This had to be one of the final parts of her twelve-step program to get the Uchiha out of her system.

"So what?" she asked uncaringly with a wave of her hand. "What's the big deal?"

"He's not dating Kirika! He's a single man!"

"All right, I get it!" Sakura snapped back. "Who the hell cares?"

The blood drained from her friend's face as silence surrounded them. Apparently she should not have announced this news in the middle of the most populated place in Konoha, where eligible women everywhere were now digesting the best piece of gossip they had heard in months.

Great. Everybody cared. Everyone but her.

At once, the buzz of the marketplace exploded as housewives and young women everywhere spoke behind their hands to the nearest female. Sakura reddened as she caught the suspicious glances as if to say, "Is he safe from Haruno?" Wordlessly she turned on her heel and continued her walk, her chin just a little higher than before.

Tenten quietly excused herself from the scene to stay safely out of the warpath.

Sakura threw open her door rather aggressively and stormed inside. It seemed that everyone still labeled her as that little girl who fawned over the last Uchiha in the village. If even one of them showed up at her door tonight, they would find themselves caught in several genjutsu traps that Sakura would deny any responsibility for. She was not dealing with any ex-fangirls-turned-new-fangirls just because the ex-idiot-turned-even-bigger-idiot turned out to be eligible.

Sakura heard a sharp knock on her door two hours later, and sighed in annoyance. She would get no peace today. "Yes?" she grumbled as she undid the top lock. At once the door opened, and she had to catch it quickly with her palm to keep it from colliding with her face. "Hey—"

"We're staying here for a while," Even Bigger Idiot stated as he stalked into her house uninvited. Kirika trailed behind him, looking delicately confused and more than a little frightened.

"Sasuke," Sakura said in surprise as he stopped in the middle of her living room, inspecting the place. Judging from the slight frown gracing his features, he did not approve of her untidiness but considered it acceptable for now. Her scattered magazines and haphazardly flung socks seemed to annoy him, as did most things. "What the—what are you doing?"

"How the hell did the entire village start thinking I was 'available'?" he spat through gritted teeth. "We can't go back to the Uchiha estate. There are _women_ there."

He sounded so scandalized at the thought of _women_ that Sakura bit back a laugh. She then sobered as she registered what he said.

"And so you're staying…"

"Here."

"No."

Sasuke's eyes widened as he faced her. "No?" he said incredulously.

"I'm sorry, but no. This is a small apartment. If you want a place to stay you'll have to rent a room somewhere."

Further evidence that the Haruno Sakura he once knew had evaporated. "There's a couch here. Kirika, you take that. I'll sleep on the floor."

"Listen, Sasuke—" Sakura started, but he quickly cut her off.

"It's our only choice," he said. "They've already staked out Naruto's house, and they'll notice if I get a hotel room. And since this is your fault, I would have thought you'd be happy to help."

"Excuse me? _My _fault? Exactly when did you come to that conclusion?" Her blood was boiling. The women of this town were facing a homicidal rampage. And Sasuke had just about five more seconds to get the hell out of her house.

"The fact that they were saying the name 'Haruno' every thirty seconds gave me a clue," Sasuke retorted.

"Sasuke-kun…" Kirika's tone was meek. "I said I wasn't your girlfriend at lunch today. Someone must have overheard and made an assumption. I'm sorry."

Placing her hands on her hips, Sakura shot Sasuke her best back-the-hell-off glare. "Actually you have Tenten to thank for outing you; she came running up to me this morning to deliver the news and shouted it in the market. And they've been saying my name because evidently they still think I'm a competitor. Thanks. I'll take your apology anytime now. And anyway, why not just rent a room with Kirika? If they see that, they're sure to back off thinking you're taken."

"We can't do that!" Kirika suddenly interrupted, eyes round. "We can't let them think something so untrue!"

Sasuke flinched almost imperceptibly. Years of stakeouts and carefully honed surveillance skills made the action impossible to miss for Sakura, however. When Ino went into interrogation under Morino Ibiki, Sakura was the first to hear all of the juicy details on about how her training was going. Thanks to her, Sakura could analyze an opponent or a prisoner and catch the tiniest twitch of a muscle.

The slight clench of his hands told her that Kirika's comment bothered him. The aversion of his eyes told her that he liked to remove himself from unpleasant situations, however he could. But his body, angled toward Kirika even though he looked apathetic, gave him away.

Sasuke might not be with Kirika, but he certainly wasn't indifferent.

The completely ironic thing was, Kirika honestly seemed to have no idea. To be fair, for most people trying to decipher Sasuke would be like trying to pry secrets out of a brick wall. Unless he actually came out and said something, she would never, ever know.

Sakura stared at the two of them, long and hard, and read the desperation in their faces. Finally, she spun on her heel and went down the hallway, leaving them standing there. Ten seconds later, she returned with an armful of blankets, gesturing defeatedly toward the couch. "It folds out into a bed," she sighed. "And I've got some pillows in the closet. Just for one night, okay?"

Kirika sent her an immensely relieved smile, and Sakura's insides unwillingly warmed. Damn her. "Thank you, Sakura-san." Sasuke only nodded his thanks, and it was clear that he was only doing so to appease Kirika. It was another reminder that this man should be nothing to her. Giving them a last fleeting look, Sakura fled into the kitchen.

Now, there were always things to do in the kitchen. Sakura was suddenly overwhelmed by the need to keep herself busy. The more she stayed active and away from those two in her living room, the less she would have to talk. She only hoped to Kami that she could avoid engaging in conversation until they left.

She milled about the kitchen, filling the sink with soapy water and placing silverware from the dishwasher back into their drawer. She had dishes to do, far too many dishes. And the contents of her fridge, it all needed organizing. While she was at it, she felt that she really should order the hanging pans above her middle shelf from largest to smallest…

Two hours later, the dishes were done, her refrigerator was officially manageable, the countertops were gleaming, and Sakura had nothing else to do. Leaning exhausted against the counter, she glanced around. There had to be something. She spotted her many cookbooks in the middle of her kitchen, unorganized, and smiled in satisfaction.

Standing up on her tiptoes to reach the top ones first, she stretched up just a bit too high. She lost her balance at just the wrong time, sprawling her hands out to clutch the bookshelf quickly for support.

Which was not bolted to the wall.

The shelf swayed toward her, its light frame not enough to support her weight. Sakura immediately panicked. The heavy cookbooks, not to mention the entire bookshelf, threatened to topple onto her, and would drop any second now—

"Aah!" she yelped as the books moved. Her eyes squeezed shut by reflex, and when she felt nothing touch her she peeked through her eyelashes.

"Klutz," Sasuke sighed as he removed his palm from one of the shelves. It now settled back onto the wall, harmless. He stood right behind her, his shirt touching her arm, as apathetic as one can get. "In your own house, even."

"Shut up," Sakura said crossly as she returned to the sink to create distance between them. The warmth of his body rattled her. "I thought you'd be a bit more polite, considering you're staying at my place for the night."

His cocky smirk said it all. "You wouldn't throw me out."

"Correction. I wouldn't throw Kirika out. You I have no problem removing." Sakura glanced into the living room and found it empty. "Speaking of…"

"She left to let Naruto know where we're staying," Sasuke said offhandedly. He glanced at her cookbooks on the shelf, and then back at her, and a chuckle escaped his lips. "Still something to be protected."

He was still so very condescending, she thought. Too angry to notice the smile that had accompanied his remark was almost fond. "I'm not a _thing, _Sasuke. And you happen to be mistaken if you think I'm not able to care for myself just fine."

His expression turned a bit more serious after that.

"You may have become stronger in some ways, Sakura, but..." he exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his dark hair as though she frustrated him. "Naruto." She stiffened. "You couldn't get him off of you." He seemed hesitant to puncture the silence between each sentence, as though he didn't actually want to say the words that came from his mouth. "What does that say about your skills?"

Fresh pain emerging in her eyes, Sakura turned away. "What happened with Naruto had nothing to do with skill. Don't talk about things you don't understand."

"I'm supposed to believe that that was consensual."

"He wasn't forcing himself on me if that's what you're implying."

Sasuke's stare was hard. "Then why did it take my interference to get him to step away? And the most you could manage was 'Please stop'?"

"I..." Sakura bit her lip. "It's more complicated than that. What Naruto is feeling isn't as simple as what you're making it out to be."

"That doesn't make what he did fine. Unless you didn't really want him to stop." Sasuke's eyes bored into hers, an accusation evident in his eyes. He leaned closer to her as if to further impress his disapproval upon her. "Seems a stupid game to play."

"Just shut up!" Sakura exclaimed. "Shut up! Of course I wanted him off of me. The situation wasn't…he isn't…the whole thing was just…different from what you think."

She didn't know what she saw in his face, but it was gone in a blink.

"And anyway, even if that were the case, it was _Naruto_. I can't just punch a hole through him like I would an enemy."

"So if anyone close to you were to turn to..." Sasuke paused as he searched for the right word, "_other _goals and attacked you, you wouldn't fight them off?"

"Turn to other goals?" the kunoichi mimicked. "Like you did when you ran away?"

Sasuke's heavy boots made her hardwood floors squeak in protest as he stepped closer to her, close enough that she could feel him breathing. She made no move to step away, though her heart was pounding in her chest.

"Exactly," he said.

Her breath caught in her throat. "What?"

"If I lost control of the curse seal and attacked you, you wouldn't fight back."

"That's not going to happen. In the event that we ever ended up catching you, I became an expert at sealing techniques. I don't even need to be touching the area to stop you in your tracks."

"You're willing to bank on that? That I couldn't kill you before you had the chance to get close to me?"

"Not especially, but I have other ways of stopping you if I had to. I fought you when you were staying with Orochimaru."

"You never even got the chance to hit me," Sasuke replied smoothly. "You wouldn't have done it."

"I would have!" Sakura spat. "If it meant getting to bring you home, I would have done anything!"

Her last sentence seemed to reverberate off of the walls as she glowered at him.

"Sakura. Stop being stubborn." Sasuke stared down at her, a slight frown on his face, but not as severe as before. Now it was laced with what she hardly dared to believe was concern.

"You wouldn't be able to stop me. That's why I left you behind. Because I'd have your death on my hands. Yes, it was because you were weak." Sakura noted through her hurt that he used the word in the past tense. "But it was more because I don't know how I'd ever get past it if anything happened to either of you on my mission."

This new revelation left her stunned and frozen, his face suddenly a million miles away. She tried to maintain fierce eye contact, but she couldn't even see him right now.

That was why he had left them? To make sure that they weren't hurt? Because he would consider it his fault if anything were to go wrong?

"Why didn't you say anything?" she whispered, her rebellious eyes leaking traitorous tears down her cheeks.

He raised his left forearm and rested it onto the cupboard behind her, seemingly unable to respond. He was so close, close enough that she could reach her arms around him if she felt the urge to do so. She breathed him in, taking in for the first time that he was real and alive, and he really was back here, with her, in this room. Who knows if he would ever leave again, but for now, he was here. She stayed perfectly still, etching this moment in her mind. Never before had he been so voluntarily close to her. It was almost more than she could stand.

She couldn't.

All she seemed to be doing these days was running. Apologizing to people, and running. Training, and running. Everything she did, she was still running from him. Hating that she couldn't run from herself, couldn't run just from the part of her heart that held him inside.

She was literally running now.

The front door was flung open and the gravel crunched under feet as she fled. There was no place she could run to, but she would figure that out later. She was so confused. She had locked her thoughts of him away for so long. Buried it all underneath hurt and hate. Then he comes back, and just like that, the door she had him locked behind bursts open and it's all laid bare for her to see. It might not have been as strong as it once was, but it hurt like hell.

It all contradicted itself. She hated him for leaving. She loved the part of him who had stood in front of her when she couldn't stand up for herself. She hated his cold indifference. She loved that he let his guard down just enough to let her know it was just a ruse. She hated him for never giving her an inch when she used to go to the ends of the earth for him.

There was so much hate. More so than love. Trouble was, he kept saying things that made her start to come to terms with her hate, and there was so much to let go. Perhaps too much.

And the punch line was, after he returned he had brought someone else.

Sakura found herself in the forest on the edge of town, and she only got through about twenty feet of it before she collapsed against a tree and allowed herself to gasp for breath.

The tears came more rapidly now, until her cheeks were drenched and dark droplets appeared on the top of her red shirt. She held her face in her hands and finally, finally let herself go to pieces.

Her back slid down the tree, still standing but with her weight completely against the bark. She bit her lip to stay silent, but her shoulders twitched as sobs refused to be suppressed. Her eyes were closed, and yet warm liquid still spilled from under her lashes.

It felt good, to release it all. Away from everyone who was looking at her with scrutiny.

The snapping of twigs a few feet away startled her into looking up.

He had followed her. He saw her face, a mess of confusion and tears, and looked as though he didn't quite know what to do with what he saw.

Sakura gasped and turned to face him, staggering back. She tried to glare at him to keep a brave face, but there was no covering it up. He had seen her crying and she couldn't undo that. Seen all of the weakness he always knew she possessed. There would be no going back from this.

She stared at Sasuke for a moment, defiant but unsteady. Her shoulders still twitched as she fought to calm down. There was a lump in her throat that prevented her from gathering her wits, and she cursed it.

Sasuke merely stared at her solemnly, unmoving.

"Well? You're right, there are parts of me that are still weak. You've officially seen that now." Sakura dropped her hands. "What do you want?" she shouted in a choked voice. "Why are you just standing there? Can't you just leave me in peace?" Her shoulders sagged and her eyes slid closed; all her emotions had been used up. She didn't even have enough energy left for frustration that despite all of her efforts, he had still seen her at her worst.

There was no sound other than the rustling of the leaves in the trees. The midday sun had begun to sink behind the hills on the horizon, and the chill of the air swept over Sakura with a breeze. He wasn't going to say anything. He was just going to stand there, like he always did. She didn't know why she expected anything else.

A shuffle of movement, then warmth. Her tears soaking through Sasuke's shirt as he embraced her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "It was supposed to be better if you both hated me. If I had explained it to you, you would have followed me. And I couldn't have that."

The sobs were back. She clutched at him, one hand fisted in his shirt and the other around his back.

"I have so many regrets," she said, her sentence broken by a hiccup. "I regret that I couldn't be focused enough on being a ninja then to be someone you could bring with you."

He exhaled, and she felt him relax. "You don't understand. You could have been the strongest kunoichi in the world and I wouldn't have brought you. You were never going to be put at risk because of me and my revenge." She felt some of the tension leave his body, as though he were saying words that had been pent up for years.

When he released her, her tears had gradually subsided. She still had a million questions. Still so much that she needed to know. But there was only one that she could remember through it all, right now.

"You have Kirika. She can't defend herself at all. What changed?"

He averted his gaze, and she knew she wasn't going to get a straight answer.

"My revenge is done. I brought her back to the village to provide her with a new home. There was no danger to her with Itachi gone."

Though it was definitely true, it wasn't the whole truth. Sakura had no tactful way of pressing, but…

"You like her."

Sasuke stared at the pine needles on the ground, suddenly closed off and frowning. The openness they had shared was swinging shut fast. At first she thought he wasn't going to respond at all.

Then, "I needed a companion after it was all over. She has this…quality…that reminds me of home."

That was the most she was getting. Small steps for anyone else; great leaps and bounds for an Uchiha. They stood there for a bit, letting the heavy concoction of emotions die down, and Sakura tilted her head as an invitation to head back to the house. After a few seconds, he nodded.

When the two returned from the forest, they were greeted with a warm, delicious smell wafting through the open front door.

"Oh, you're back! I started to make dinner," Kirika called from the kitchen as Sasuke and Sakura walked through the front door. An apron wrapped around her front, Kirika looked every bit the housewife she would without a doubt someday grow into, and even more so from the motherly smile she wore as she licked off a drop of soup from the ladle in her hand.

"It's just a bit of stew, I couldn't find too many ingredients…" she said modestly, and a embarrassed flush crept up her cheeks. Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, and found his eyes fixed on the pretty girl before him.

"You have a spot on your apron," he told her, and moved to wipe it off with his finger. It was a stray drop of soup near her stomach, and Kirika smiled at him.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," she told him sweetly. Sakura searched her face for the red that would soon reappear on her cheeks, but it didn't come. Sasuke's action didn't fluster her one bit.

If she had suspected before, this confirmed it. Kirika didn't have any feelings for him at all.

It was about halfway through dinner that a sharp knock sounded on Sakura's door. She made sure to look through the peephole before she opened it, just in case it was anyone else come to disrupt their evening for no real reason.

What she saw made her brows knit in worry. Turning the handle and pulling the door back, she came face to face with a member of ANBU, fully dressed in uniform minus the mask. She recognized him as a new addition to Morino Ibiki's division in interrogation.

"Uchiha Sasuke is to report to Morino Ibiki immediately for questioning."

"Can it wait until morning?" Sakura asked him. "It's ten at night."

"Failure to appear will result in incarceration and possibly death," came the standard reply. Then he gave her a patronizing stare that she didn't like at all.

"Uchiha better pray that he has enough valuable information to lighten his sentence. 'Else he could be buried by tomorrow afternoon, and you can bet his name ain't going on the Konoha monument." A nod of his head to Kirika in the background, and he was gone.


End file.
